Cadere
by Meirelle
Summary: After the fall of Temen ni Gru, a certain chain of events cause the twins find out what it's like to be human. Literally. [AU, starting from the last Mission of DMC3.]
1. Conflict

_Das Fallen_

by Meirelle

Chapter One: "Conflict"

---

**DISCLAIMER: Whee! I am a poor college student! I dwell in filth, and I live off of pizza and beer. Suing me would profit no one. Trust me.**

_---_

_Then on that last day he breaks  
And he stood tall  
And he yelled... and he takes his life_

_--_The Used, "Poetic Tragedy"

---

Dante was shivering. The water was cold, and it threatened to knock him off his feet. His brother knelt in the water before him, broken and defeated.

"What's the matter, Verge? Surprised?" He forced himself to smirk.

"Am I...am I being defeated?" Vergil asked, bemused. Dante's smirk grew even wider. Vergil's expression changed to one of cold determination. "I will not be defeated." He shakily rose to his feet, supporting himself momentarily on his sword before rushing towards his brother without warning.

Dante's smile faded a split second later when he realized Vergil was charging at him, both hands on the hilt of his sword. He ran towards his brother, Rebellion in hand. _I don't wanna do this, but I have to._

He swung Rebellion in an uppercut slash a split second before Vergil had the chance to draw Yamato. Dante turned around to see his brother clutching his stomach. Dante was momentarily confused. _I...I bested_ Vergil _in swordplay?_

Vergil let out a bitter laugh as he turned to face his brother. "You can't have it," he stated.

Dante blinked. "What?" He noticed Vergil clutching his amulet. Dante laughed bitterly. "I don't want yours; I have my own."

Vergil smirked; Dante doubted it was because of his joke. "The amulets are separated; the portal to the human world is closing."

"Yeah," Dante said, glancing at the swirling red sky--the way home. "Better leave. I wouldn't want to be stuck in this hell hole for eternity." Vergil was silent. Dante turned to look at his twin, who was slowly backing up towards the edge of the cliff.

"No," Vergil said, still smirking, "You wouldn't." He was now backed up as far as he could go without tumbling into the abyss below.

"What are you doing?" Dante asked, his humor forgotten.

"I'm staying here. This place was our father's home."

"You what?" Dante stared at his brother in confusion, not sure of what to make of his comment. Vergil tilted himself back, succumbing to the force of gravity. Realization hit Dante fast, and he scrambled towards the cliff.

"Vergil, no!"

Dante reached out towards his brother, trying to bring him back to solid ground. Vergil anticipated this, and slashed out at his brother's reaching arm.

For the second time that day, Vergil had lost. Dante grabbed Yamato's blade as it sliced through his palm. Vergil's eyes grew wide when he realized his descent was abruptly halted. He slammed into the cliff wall with force and grunted at the sudden jolt. Looking up, he saw that his brother was holding on to the sharp blade that was meant to drive him off. Blood trickled down Yamato and on to the hilt, staining Vergil's hand.

"I'm not gonna let you do this." Dante looked down at him; his face was grim, like his father's used to be when he did something wrong as a kid. Dante's hand was shaking from the pain, but it didn't show on his face.

Vergil scowled. He could just let go of Yamato and fall like he originally planned, but Yamato was one of the few things he wasn't willing to give up (at least not without a good fight). More of Dante's blood trickled down the hilt of the katana, and Vergil found his hand slipping. He smiled at the irony. _Looks like I won't have much of a choice._

His hand slipped from Yamato, and he began his descent. At least, that's what he thought. Dante was quick, much quicker than Vergil ever expected him to be. Before he could even think about what was happening, Dante released Yamato and grabbed his brother's bloody forearm, swinging him over the ledge and back into the frigid water before gravity had its chance to take both of them down together. 

Vergil's vision swam, and his head felt light. _Bastard. I can't believe he got one in on me._ He blinked, trying to clear his vision and keep from being swept away by the rapids. _I must have lost a lot of blood; that has to be it._ His wound was deep; the gash would take a little longer than expected to heal.

"What did I tell you?" Dante asked, enraged. "I said I wasn't gonna let you do this!"

Before he could react, Vergil felt himself slipping into unconsciousness from a nasty blow to the head by the blunt end of Rebellion.

---

Dante stared at his brother's unconscious form for a second before picking him up and heading to the portal back to the human world. _Shit. I'd better hurry up, or we're_ both_ gonna become permanent residents._

He started climbing the slimy rocks on the edge of the river. He almost lost his balance twice. In the end, he ended up diving through the portal head first, a maneuver made to prevent himself from falling twenty feet back into the raging water below.

He emerged from the portal several hundred feet above the top of Temen ni Gru and found himself in an uncontrollable freefall. Getting a hold of himself (and making sure he didn't lose his brother in the process), Dante dived head first towards the side of the dark tower. Above, the gate to the demon world started to violently flicker.

Dante, now in control of his descent, ran vertically down the side of the building, not bothering to slow down. He found it hard to focus his demonic powers for some reason, but he didn't dare slow down. With the demon gate suddenly collapsing, Temen ni Gru would come crashing down. He didn't plan on being buried in the ruins.

On his way down, Dante ran into some low-level demons stuck on the human side of the gate. Dante drew Rebellion from his back with his free hand and swiped at the annoying pests following him. Surprisingly, the beasts lost interest in him. The portal seemed to make them lose focus, like whatever was controlling them was losing control.

Dante was only about fifty feet from the base of the dark tower when the violent flickering gave out and the portal suddenly collapsed.

"Gyaaa!" Dante lost his footing on the side of the tower and tumbled head first towards the rapidly approaching ground. _What the...?_ Temen ni Gru started to collapse around him as he desperately tried to regain control of his demonic powers, which up to this point, had nearly been instinctual.

_This shouldn't be happening,_ he thought as he prepared to hit the ground hard. _What the hell is going on?_ About ten feet from the pavement, he hit his head on the side of the tower and blacked out.

---

Lady stared at the collapsing tower for minutes, or maybe hours--it was hard to tell. She thought she saw a flash of red, but it must have been a trick of the mind.

Sighing, she finally willed herself to turn her back on the ruins of Temen ni Gru and leave this part of her life behind forever.

_What do you care anyhow? He's a demon. He's better off dead._

ch.1.end11/05

---

Dear Reader,

This is the first fanfiction I've written in a _long _time. Moreover, this is the first multichapter fanfic I've written in several _years. _I'm trying to keep myself motivated. As of right now, I have chapter two done and part of chapter three. I find that if I don't post them right away, I can fix things and avoid writing myself into a hole. shrugs

Anyhow, I've wanted to write a fic like this for the longest time, and I'm surprised no one has done it before. The idea of the Sparda twins suddenly being knocked down to human status amuses me.

Please review, as I need praise. I am very self-conscious about my fiction. (I think this story is poorly written.) I'm a senior in college, and I'm studying creative writing. However, my concentration is in poetry, and my fiction suffers. A lot. Any constructive criticism I receive, I will gladly accept. Also, please tell me about any mistakes you find so I can fix them.

Thank You for Reading,

Meirelle


	2. Lost and Found

_Terza Rima_

by Meirelle

Chapter Two: Lost and Found

---

_So angel, I feel so numb and so far away._

_I can see myself on the pavement where I lay._

_Oh angel, why do I stare so? What do I see? _

_Why do these lifeless eyes look that way back at me?_

--The Cruxshadows, "The Dying Song"

---

His head hurt a lot. Not only his head, but his entire body. He opened his eyes slightly, expecting the harsh daylight to filter in, but he was surprised when only darkness greeted his eyes. _What the..? Where am I, and what happened?_ He remembered falling and... _Temen ni Gru!_

Dante sat up in a rush, which caused his vision to swim. Where was Vergil? He looked around frantically, all while trying to fight off a bout of nausea. He didn't realize just how dark it was. It was raining, and there was very little light. _Why can't I see?_ It shouldn't have been a problem for him. He'd been in places where it was pitch black before, and he had been able to see just fine.

"V…Vergil?" he croaked. It was all he could manage at the moment. He was shaking, either from the cold or his injuries, he wasn't sure.

Something flashed at the edge of his vision, and he turned to look. It was a light, moving back and forth, as if searching for something. _Is that a spotlight?_ There were noises too, coming from the same direction: shouts and the sound of moving vehicles.

One of the objects in question suddenly rounded the corner and came into view. The vehicle looked like it belonged to the military, as well as all the other ones following it. Dante looked for any sort of markings that would let them know what branch they were from, but his vision was all blurry. He assumed they were Army, but he was never good at figuring out that kind of stuff.

"You and you--check over this way. Keep an eye out for any survivors." Figures with lights started to walk down the deserted street towards the disoriented devil hunter. Dante squinted as several lights shined in his eyes.

"Sir! We've found one!"

Dante shakily rose to his feet and stood unsteadily, waiting for the approaching soldiers to find him. He winced. Everything hurt too much. This wasn't right. He shifted his weight to his right foot, lost his balance, and fell to the ground. "Aaah!"

This entire situation was confusing him. _Why does it hurt so much? I've been shot in the head before and haven't even winced about it, for Christ's sake._

"Sir, are you okay?"

The query startled Dante out of his reverie. He looked up at the man questioning him, and squinted at the light being shone in his face. "I, uh..." He wasn't all right. His thoughts were all jumbled together, and it was hard to think, and he hurt all over. "I dunno."

"Can you stand?"

Dante closed his eyes and swallowed the bile rising in his throat. He shook his head violently.

The man sighed. "Right." He turned to the rest of the troops further down the street. "We need a medical unit over here." He turned back to Dante as more troops started to arrive on the scene. "Don't worry. It'll be all right." He tried his best to be reassuring, but failed rather miserably.

Dante looked up at the man blankly. "W...where's Vergil?"

The man blinked. "What?"

"Vergil," Dante mumbled, starting to panic. "My brother. He was right here. Where is he?"

The soldier sighed yet again. "Er...We're looking for him right now. Don't worry about it. We'll find him."

Dante nodded hesitantly. The explanation seemed to satisfy him for now. The flips in his stomach seemed to dull, so Dante deemed it safe to attempt to stand again. The soldier, seeing the devil hunter's attempts, helped Dante to his feet and guided him several meters to a waiting stretcher. Dante blinked. "No."

The soldier blinked. "Excuse me?"

"M'okay now; I can walk." Dante stared at him defiantly.

The man's mood dropped visibly. "If you say so."

Dante hesitantly stepped forward and instantly faltered. "Whoa!"

"Right." The soldier tried to hide a smirk as he guided Dante in the direction of the medical unit.

---

Dante managed to stagger over to one of the many military vehicles, with some help, of course. The man from before was joined by a woman, and they jointly helped him up into the back of the truck. Dante stared straight ahead, his eyes unfocused. He was having trouble concentrating, and he felt tired.

The woman stepped in front of him, startling him out of his daze. His vision cleared for a moment, and he saw her look back at him in concern. "Where's Vergil?" he asked.

The woman looked bemused for a second before turning to the soldier beside her.

"It's his brother," he supplied.

"Ah," she said, nodding, then turned back to Dante. "We're looking for survivors. If he's here we'll find him." She smiled at him warmly. "Could you tell me your name, sir?"

There was a long pause, and then, "Dante. Um...Dante Sparda."

"My name is Dr. Frasier," the woman supplied. "I'm just going to check you over and see what's wrong." Not waiting for confirmation, she pulled a tiny light from one of her vest pockets and shined it in his eyes. He squinted.

She nodded to herself and put away the light. She then asked him a few questions about his age, where he lived, and when his birthday was. After she came to the conclusion that he answered correctly, she said, "Well, Mr. Sparda, you have a concussion. Thankfully, it's not too severe. A cold ice pack and some Tylenol should fix that."

"Oh," Dante said, looking down at his feet dangling off the edge of the truck. "S'at why I can't think?"

The doctor chuckled. "Yes. That's probably it. Now, understand, I want you under constant supervision for twenty-four hours. If these symptoms persist, you're going to have to go to the emergency room." She looked as if she was going to say more, but she was interrupted by frantic shouting from down the street.

"Hey! We need some help over here! We've found another one!"

The doctor looked at the soldier waiting by her side. He nodded to her and ran off down the street with several of his comrades. The woman turned her attention back to Dante and frowned. "Is that a cut on your hand?"

Dante remembered the damage Yamato had done to his left hand and nodded nervously. _It should've healed by now._

The doctor removed Dante's glove and examined his hand. "It looks deep," she said to herself. She moved off to his right and came back with a bottle of _something_ and some cloth. She opened the bottle and poured some of the liquid content on his wound. Dante instinctively pulled his hand away and winced. "It's okay. I'm just cleaning it," she reassured.

Dante grudgingly gave his hand back. _Damned cut shouldn't still be there in the first place,_ he thought. The woman cleaned most of the blood off. The wound had stopped bleeding, but it still looked pretty nasty. He wouldn't be surprised if it was infected.

The rain started coming down harder, and the woman moved under the protection of the covered vehicle. She wrapped Dante's hand in a bandage and told him he was lucky he didn't need stitches. Dante was about to convince a reluctant doctor to release him when he saw the medical team coming back, carrying a familiar figure.

"Vergil!" Dante gaped at his brother's prone form. There was a large gash across his midsection from Rebellion as well as some nasty-looking bruises on the side of his face. "What's wrong with him? He shouldn't be hurt this bad."

The doctor and soldiers ignored his queries and moved Vergil's prone form into the back of the vehicle. "Get that cut cleaned up; I don't want it getting infected," the doctor instructed.

A drenched soldier ran up to the side of the truck. "Ma'am, there are no more civilians in the area. We are getting ready to move out. It's not safe for us to stay inside the perimeter with injured people; the area is no longer secure."

The doctor nodded curtly. "Inform the Colonel that I'm ready to leave."

"Yes, ma'am."

"Is he okay?" Dante asked.

"He'll be all right if we get him to a hospital," she said.

Dante nodded his head. "Okay."

"Here," she said, handing him a warm-looking blanket. "I don't want you getting hypothermia as well."

The doctor left to tend to Vergil a few feet away. The engine roared to life, and the vehicle crawled away from the remains of Temen ni Gru. Dante wrapped the blanket around his shoulders and watched the woman clean his brother's wounds, letting the lull of the engine lure him to sleep.

---

end.ch.212.05.

Author's note:

Yeah. I changed the name. _Das Fallen _was more like a working title. It was German, and German is cool. So, yeah. It really had nothing to do with the story. I thought about naming the fic _Seven Deadly, _after a ghazel I wrote, but the title didn't work as well with the story as it did with the poem. Then, I thought about using something alluding to _The Divine Comedy. _In the end, _Terza Rima _ended up as the name. I'll figure out a way to work it into the story somehow. It shouldn't be too hard.

Also, sorry about getting the chapter out so late. (Erm… has it been that late?) It's near the end of the semester. I have a research paper due on the Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis for my Linguistics class, several philosophy papers to do, my poetry portfolio, and interestingly enough, a research paper on the _terza rima _for Formal Poetry. I should be able to get in more writing during finals week, as I only actually have one final; most of my work is due this week. Eeep! hides Ihavesomuchworktodo!

Wish me luck!

Meirelle

**Thanks for all the reviews! **You guys keep me writing.

Responses: 

_To ulysess: I don't think Lady would be that quick to get all "buddy-buddy" with Dante. She's been holding a grudge for demons for a very long time. I respect your opinion, and I get where you're coming from. However, this is my opinion; I hope you understand. Also, I am not writing Lady off, as you can see. She will play a major part in this story. _

_To Spazert: Thank you very much! I really owe you one. You're the one who got me off my lazy ass and made me write. _

_To SaiyAsianMaki: If you know of any fics, please drop me a link. I'd like to read them. I've never come across any on though. There is Spazert's fic, "Why," in which someone is eventually going to turn human. As of yet, it hasn't happened, and that is not the main focus of the fic. There is also a fic by Splendid Shadows called "Dealing With Disaster." To be honest, I'm not really sure what's going on in this one, but it is highly amusing. I recommend both of these. And again, if you have links to these stories, I'd really like to read them._

_To Sephiroth1021: My sources must not be good enough, because I have no idea what the DMC4 plot is about. I asked all my buddies over in the DMC livejournal communities, and they have no idea what the plot is about. Your sources must be really good. Hook me up with them. Also, I have a disclaimer. (Thanks. You reminded me to put it in.) There's nothing anyone can really do if I have a disclaimer._

_To everyone else: vegg, __Illicit Memory__, lulukitten:3. Thanks for the reviews! _


	3. The Artifact

_Terza Rima_  
by Meirelle  
Chapter Three: The Artifact

DISCLAIMER: I am no longer a college student, but I am still poor. I have bills to pay, damn it! And student loans! And, no, you cannot take my car. I shall run you over with it, and flatten you into a lawyer pancake! Muahaha! 

---

_Sanest choice in the insane world:  
Beware the beast but enjoy the feast he offers_  
--Nightwish, "Beauty of the Beast"

---

_Vergil stared at the dusty tomes on the shelves as if a clue would suddenly jump out at him. As expected, it didn't. He shouldn't give in to such childish notions. _

"Hmmm," a voice purred, its breath hot on the back of his neck.

It startled Vergil slightly, but he wasn't one to let his emotions show. Turning around, he came face to face with a demon poorly trying to pass as a middle-aged human.

"Well, well. If it isn't the son of the Traitor," the demon said, his face brightening into a smile, "I thought it was one of you; I could smell the foul, tainted blood from across the room--the blood of a traitor, and the blood of a filthy half-breed."

Vergil lashed out with lightning speed at the demon, slamming him into the bookshelf and pinning him to the wall, Vergil's hand around his neck and his prey's feet dangling several feet off the ground. "I might have human blood in me," Vergil stated coolly, "but who, of the two of us, is stronger?"

The demon choked out a laugh as Vergil let him fall to the floor. "You're an ambitious one, aren't you? What are you doing here? Trying to find ways to protect the human world, hmm?" He sat up and looked Vergil in the eye. "Or are you on a different path?"

"What do you want?" Vergil asked. "I don't have time for this."

"I want you to leave." He smiled deviously. "We have no need for the likes of you here."

Vergil let out a bitter laugh. So that was it then. He'd been here for hours and hadn't found anything. He started to make his way towards the exit. Perhaps he was looking in the wrong place. "Fine. If you feel that way. I can find information somewhere else."

"You've been staring at those books for the better part of three hours now," someone else interrupted. "I can help you find information."

Vergil stopped, turned around, and came face to face with a young, nervous-looking demon. This one was better disguised as human. However, his unusually pale skin, contrasted by black hair and deep violet eyes, marked the flaw in his disguise. 

"Is that so?" Vergil asked skeptically.

"Bah!" the older demon exclaimed. "Go ahead, boy! But don't blame me if you loose your job over this."

The demon, ignoring his boss' comment, smiled and bowed. "Len Dieter, Assistant Librarian of the North-Eastern Branch of Demonic Literature, at your service."

Vergil looked skeptical. "Are you really_ Assistant Librarian?"_

Len faltered. "Er... no. I'm just an intern."

A ghost of a smile appeared on Vergil's face. "I see."

"But I'm a really good intern! I can help you," Len insisted. "I've been researching ancient demonic artifacts. You know, it's sort of a special interest of mine." He let out a nervous laugh. "Um, well, demonic history, in general, is a hobby of mine. That's why I'm interning at the library..."

Vergil scowled slightly at the demon's nervous rambling and started to walk away.

"Wait!" Len blocked Vergil's path, and the half-breed glared down at him. 

"If you would be quiet, I could use your expertise in demonic artifacts."

The intern paled at Vergil's glare, but brightened at the half-breed's need for his knowledge. He was about to start rambling about his other areas of interest, but Vergil glared again, and Len seemed to reconsider his response. "Er... you're impatient. Right. Well, then. Um, follow me, and I'll find that book."

---

There was a jolt, and Vergil woke up with a start. Something had startled him awake. He looked around warily, trying to remember where he fell asleep. He was numbly aware of a dull pain across his torso but didn't think anything of it. He tried to focus his eyes in the darkness, but couldn't fully manage it. He could barely make out the silhouette of someone sitting next to him, clutching an M16 and giving of an air of a trapped animal.

Silence permeated the atmosphere, as if everyone was holding their breath, waiting for something.

Vergil darted his eyes around the room, spotting four other people and a familiar shock of white hair. _Dante?_ His brother was propped up in the corner with his chin resting on his chest. He looked to be in a deep sleep. 

It was then that he noticed that he was in the back of some sort of vehicle, and the jolt that woke him up was the motion of said vehicle suddenly stopping. He was wondering why when he heard it--the familiar growl of a demon, and by the sound of it, it wasn't one of the lower ranks. Concluding that he was in a rather vulnerable position, he sat up. At least, he tried to sit up, but the pain in his chest proved to be too much. He found himself holding his breath with everyone else.

Vergil listened to the darkness. There were shots fired, a demonic scream followed shortly by a human scream, more shots fired from multiple locations, frantic shouting, and--**WHAM!**--the vehicle shook violently as something big outside took a swipe at it. He looked over to his right, in between the two people in front of him, just in time to see several figures dive into the back of the truck--two male and one of them noticeably female.

"Are you all right, Miss?" one of them asked.

"I'm fine!" The girl yelled, trying to catch her breath. "Just go!"

Vergil's eyes widened as he recognized the voice. _That girl... That... Mary girl?_ The vehicle lurched as it began to move again.

"What the hell was that thing?" one of the men asked fearfully beside her. 

"Some sort of demon, but..." Mary took a breath. "...but I've never seen it before."

"It was a _what?_"

Mary didn't hear the question; she was staring at Dante's crumpled form in the corner. "What is _he_ doing here?"

One of the soldiers looked over his shoulder at her. "Oh, him. We found him by the ruins of that tower thing. He was pretty out of it when we got to him. Must've hit his head really hard."

Vergil watched Mary stare at the other twin with an emotion somewhere between contempt and concern before she plopped down next to him with a sigh. "I thought you were dead," she whispered. "Jerk."

Vergil had no idea what was going on, and Vergil wasn't the type of person who liked being left in the dark. He was about to inquire upon his whereabouts when the vehicle hit a large ditch in the road. The sudden impact caused Vergil to hit his head off the metal surface below him. He saw spots in the corners of his vision and felt the familiar lull of unconsciousness approaching.

---

_Vergil watched the intern flip through the pages of a several-thousand-year-old tome. It had a worn leather cover, and he was sure the pages would have crumbled by now if it wasn't for the preservation spell someone put on it. The twin was slightly irritated that he couldn't read the text; it was in language he wasn't familiar with. It looked somewhat like Sanskrit. However, Vergil was fairly certain that this language was of demonic origin. He would have been interested at any other time; at the moment, he was impatient._

"I thought you knew where to look," he quipped.

"I do know where to look. It's somewhere in this book, and it's not like they had indexes back then or anything." Len was losing patience himself, a byproduct of Vergil's irritability. "And this is a big freakin' book. You can't expect me to remember exactly which page I found it on. I mean, I know it's somewhere in the middle, but these pages aren't even numbered or anyth..." He stopped ranting for a moment and squinted down at the page. "Found it."

He turned the book so Vergil could get a clear view of a sketch of the artifact in question. It was rather unimpressive-- much like many other magical artifacts he'd come across. It was in the form of an amulet-- Why does everything have to be an amulet?_ He let out a growl of frustration and yanked the book from Len's hands._

"Hey! Do you know how old that book is?" Len shouted. Vergil glared and the boy lowered his voice, albeit grudgingly. "Just be careful with it."

Vergil traced his hand over the sketch greedily. "I need to borrow this."

Len folded his arms and leaned against the wall. "Can't."

Vergil narrowed his eyes in annoyance, but still focused on the book. "Is that so?"

"Look, that book is priceless, and it's also the original copy. In fact, I think it's the only_ copy. I can't just let anyone walk out with it." The demon growled a warning, and his eyes glowed with something inhuman._

Vergil placed his hand on the hilt of Yamato, ready to strike if the boy got out of hand. He noticed the head librarian staring at him suspiciously.

Vergil sighed. "Look, I really need this. What can you do?"

The boy's anger seemed to dissipate almost immediately. He grabbed the book from Vergil. "Well, I can Xerox these pages for you. Oh-- I can also give you direct and interpreted translations of the information written here--" he pointed to the page opposite of the drawing-- "ritualistic stuff, you know, all that crap you have to go through with these types of things. And I also have some notes on--"

"Where's it located?" Vergil was losing his patience fast, and he let it show in his voice.

"Um, the tower of Temen ni Gru, I think." Len paused, his eyes glazing over for a moment as if in deep concentration. "Yeah. Temen ni Gru for sure. Now, if you need any information on the Temen ni Gru, I have some--"

Vergil unsheathed Yamato and pointed it at the boy's throat. "Xerox. Now."

"Okay, okay." The boy backed away from the sword warily. "I'm going."

Temen ni Gru,_ Vergil thought. _Like killing two birds with one stone.

---

"Ow, ow, ow!"

Vergil woke up to the sound of incessant whining. It sounded awfully familiar, and it seemed incredibly annoying on an almost subconscious level.

"Shut up and let me work."

He cracked an eyelid.

Mary's back was to him. She was holding a mess of bloody gauze. "Dante, this is disgusting." She discarded the gauze and dug out a new roll from a med kit on the floor beside her.

Dante, of course, was the source of the whining. He was propped up in the corner, exactly where Vergil had seen him last. Something seemed off about him, like he wasn't all there.

"Give me your hand," Mary commanded.

"No," Dante replied stubbornly. "You enjoy giving me pain. Remember? You shot me in the head--twice!" He poked his forehead with his index finger and broke out into a goofy grin. "Look, no scar!"

Mary sighed and grabbed the offending hand, making Dante yelp in pain. "Well, there _will_ be a scar with this one if you don't take care of it. Trust me, you don't want it to get infected."

Dante made a dismissing noise and tried to wave her away with his free hand. "Infected, right. Lady, I've gotten, like, impaled with some crazy stuff before. Rusty stuff, blood-covered stuff, stuff that shouldn't even exist outside of the demon world--"

Vergil watched as Mary wiped the blood from Dante's hand with a wet cloth. The cut did look rather nasty. _Serves him right for grabbing Yamato like that._ He frowned as Mary unscrewed the cap from a bottle of hydrogen peroxide. _But it shouldn't still be there. Unless..."_

Mary poured the concoction on the wound.

"Ow, shit!" Dante squeezed his eyes shut. "God dammit, Lady. What did you do?"

She waved the bottle in front of his face.

"Oh, that shit." He sighed. "I hate that shit."

Vergil decided to make his presence known. "Dante-- shut up."

Lady turned around in surprise, obviously unaware that he had been awake all this time.

Dante, however, seemed un-phased. He waved to his brother with his free hand. "Hey, Verge. What's up?"

Vergil groaned. "What... is wrong with you?"

Dante grinned. "I have a concussion."

Vergil propped himself up on his elbows, fully aware of the pain that laced itself across his torso. He sucked in a painful breath. "Indeed." _This isn't right._

"Oh, not you too." Lady reached over and gently pushed him back down. "Don't try to move; you'll only make it worse."

He winced. The pain was horrible. _This is all wrong._ Black spots danced in his vision-- he was going to pass out again. A feeling of dread formed in the pit of his stomach. _It's all wrong._

---

ch2.end09/06

So, yeah. Most of this chapter was written at the end of last year. It's sad, really. But, lucky for you, all the DMC4 hype has been getting to me. I finished this chapter in no time, and it won't be long before I post the next one.

I don't know about you, but I have decided that I like this chapter. Writing for Vergil amuses me; he's such a smart-ass.

Also, I hope it wasn't too confusing having the flashbacks thrown in there. I thought it was creative, but I've been known for not-so-great ideas.

Until next time,  
Meirelle


	4. Normal

_Cadere_  
by Meirelle  
Chapter Four: Normal

DISCLAIMER: Poor, dammit! Poor! No own!

---

_Just 19 and dream obscene with six months off for bad behavior_  
--Placebo, "Special Needs"

---

Dante slowly awoke to the sound of rain hitting the window. It seemed strangely different; it sounded far away, muffled, and wrong. The shoddy windows in his apartment were drafty little bastards, and they didn't block out any noise from the outside. This sound was different. It was quiet.

It was disturbing.

Dante cracked an eyelid.

He was in a strange place-- a hospital, maybe. It had that distinctive sterile smell, and the walls were white. Only hospitals had white walls. He'd been in them enough to recognize that they all looked the same.

The room he was in was dark, and he couldn't make out much. His vision was still a little blurry. _Still?_ Harsh, florescent lighting spilled through the open doorway. He squinted, turning his head away from it.

A window was to his left. The curtains were drawn, letting in the murky grey light of a rainy afternoon. The grey clouds outside were oddly calming, took his thoughts away from a nagging _something_ in the back of his mind.

A rustling sound brought his attention back to the room. He looked to the foot of the bed where a woman was sitting in a previously unoccupied chair. She was idly flipping through the pages of a _National Geographic_ that was probably swiped from one of the waiting rooms.

Dante tried to sit up, and he immediately regretted it. He felt like he was going to puke. The feeling was worse than the hangover he got a few weeks back when Enzo challenged him to a drinking contest. And that was a bad hangover. He let out a tiny whimper and held his breath. _No big deal. If something tries to come up, I'll just swallow it._

"Dante?"

He shifted his gaze to the woman in the chair.

"You're awake." She must have noticed something in his expression. "Are you okay?"

He knew that voice. "Lady? Is that you?"

"Yeah, it's me." She moved the chair up to the side of the bed and stared at him with concern. The emotion looked odd on her face.

Dante frowned, finally realizing why he didn't recognize her at first. "You look weird-- dressed funny."

She looked at him in disbelief. "This is called looking normal, Dante. You should try it sometime."

"Yeah, I..." He realized after it left his mouth that it was a rather stupid comment. Lady was dressed in blue jeans and a hooded sweatshirt. It was normal. "Yeah."

Lady's frown deepened. "How are you feeling?"

"Fine," he lied. He gave her a small, faltering smile.

Her response was to cross her arms defiantly.

Dante sighed. "Not all right. There. You happy?" He swore it was that woman's mission in life to make him suffer. He squinted his eyes shut in pain as he felt bile rise in his throat. "Hey, Lady," he said in between clenched teeth. "Can I borrow your jacket?"

"What for?"

"So I can puke in it."

It took a moment for it to sink in, but as soon as she noticed the pallid color of his face, she dashed towards the trash bin and held it under his face just in time for him to throw up in it.

She curled her nose up. "Can't you ask for something to puke in like a normal person?"

"I did." He rolled over on to his side. "I was just gonna swallow it, but--"

"Ah! Not another word."

"Okay, okay." He buried his face in the pillow. He took note of the plastic bracelet around his left wrist. _Sparda, Dante. Adm: 9/22._

He stared at it in morbid fascination. Sure, he'd been in a hospital before, but he was never on this end. He was never the patient.

"My head hurts," he mumbled. "And I want to go home. Where am I?"

"At the hospital on the far side of town."

"Oh." He paused. "My head hurts."

Lady sighed and stared out the window with a mix of concern and annoyance.

A nurse walked into the room and paused, taking in the situation. "Oh, you're up."

Dante groaned in response.

"How are you feeling?"

Dante buried his face further into the pillow and mumbled something incoherent.

Lady held out the soiled trashcan, which she realized with disgust that she was still holding.

"Oh," the nurse said simply, taking it away. "That answers that." The nurse didn't seem to be irritated. In fact, she seemed somewhat amused. Dante decided that Lady probably liked her.

"He also has a headache," Lady supplied.

"I thought as much," the nurse answered. "I'll be back with some painkillers." She shot a sympathetic glance at Dante.

"I never been this sick before," he said in a small voice. "Ever."

Lady shot him a worried glance. Dante sounded so _vulnerable_-- scared, even. It wasn't like him at all.

"What's wrong with me?"

The nurse gave him a worried smile. "You're suffering the effects of a moderate concussion. The symptoms-- you know, confusion, vision problems, headaches, slight amnesia--" she paused and looked at the trash can-- "vomiting. They usually last around 48 to 72 hours."

Dante took in a sharp breath. "That's--" he laughed, tried to appear amused, but it made him look nervous instead. "That's weird."

"Actually," the nurse said, "it's quite normal." She walked over to the bed on the opposite side of the room, jotted down some notes and left.

_Normal_. Dante's eyes wandered over to the other bed, and his breath caught in his throat. "Vergil?" He squinted. The pseudo-light pouring through the window wasn't enough for him to make out the features of the person in the bed, but the white hair was a dead giveaway.

"Yeah," Lady answered. "That's him."

"Is he-- is he okay?" He tried to focus on Lady, but his eyes kept on wandering to his incapacitated brother.

Lady followed his gaze. "He's a little banged up, but he'll live."

He watched the uncharacteristically prone form of his brother. Vergil looked like a different person. His features were relaxed, peaceful. He looked boyish and innocent. And he was injured-- they both were. He'd never had a concussion, and he'd never had a cut that didn't heal within minutes. He felt weak, and it scared the shit out of him.

Dante turned away from his brother and stared at the ceiling. He tried counting the pockmarks in the tiles, but his vision became blurry. He just closed his eyes instead.

Beside him, Lady sighed. "What happened out there?"

It was a question neither one of them wanted to think about, and Dante did his best to avoid the subject. "Hey," he said weakly, "Nice weather we're having, huh?"

"Something happened," she said flatly. "What?"

Damn. "Nothing." He opened his eyes and gave her a withering look.

"Would you like me to shoot you in the head again?"

"Oh, yeah." Dante laughed. "I'm sure they really let you in the hospital with your monster grenade launcher."

Lady smiled. "No, of course not." She stretched her arms, and the bottom of her sweatshirt lifted up in the front just enough for Dante to spot part of a holster strap. She smiled, knowing he spotted it.

Dante stiffened. "You wouldn't." At least, he didn't think she would. One never knew with her.

"Of course I wouldn't," she said, and she leaned over him to look directly in his eyes. "Somehow, I get the feeling you wouldn't survive it this time."

Dante tore his eyes from her to look out at the rain pounding the window. "I don't know what happened." He watched a rivulet of water snake down the center until it merged with the outside ledge. "When the portal closed, I felt like I was being drained-- torn apart. And I got weak, lost concentration, and I fell." He turned his gaze back to her and smiled. "And I think I hit my head on a rock."

Lady fought to hold back a smile of her own. "Oh, I don't think that's the first time you hit your head." Her smile grew wider. "You were probably dropped on it as a child."

"Hey!" He narrowed his eyes and frowned in mock offense, pouting. "I didn't get dropped on my head."

"Oh, you had to have been."

"No, I--"

"He was," came a reply from across the room.

Both stopped, confused, before turning to the source of the new voice-- Vergil. He hadn't moved, but his eyes were now open.

Lady put her hands on her hips. "Do you make it a habit of eaves dropping while you're pretending to sleep?"

"Forget that!" Dante glared at his brother. "I was not dropped on my head, you lying bastard."

Vergil let a ghost of a smile grace his face, and with his hair down, it made him look frighteningly like his brother. It only provoked Dante even more.

"Dude," He muttered, "I'm gonna beat the shit out of that smirk."

"You do, and I will kill you."

"Oh, yeah," Dante taunted. "We're in a hospital, and you can hardly move."

"I'll kill you when I recover."

Dante paused, searching for a comeback. Then he found it, and he smiled. "With what?"

Vergil's expression hardly changed, but Dante noticed it.

"Yamato's sealed away in the underworld. I left it there."

Apparently, Vergil could move more than he had thought, because a few seconds later his twin's hands were around his neck.

"That was a mistake on your part," Vergil sneered.

Dante's eyes went wide, and he frantically pulled at his brother's hands. He started to see black spots before Vergil was yanked away, presumably by Lady. He leaned on his side, trying to take in deep breaths in between coughing fits.

He heard the sound of a fist hitting its target, and a thump. He rolled over and saw his brother, furious, sitting in a guest chair across the room. Vergil, wiping blood from his mouth, stared up at an equally furious Lady.

"That will never happen again," she ordered. "From you." She pointed to Vergil. "Or you." Her finger moved in Dante's direction. "Do you understand me?"

"Hell yeah," Dante replied. "'Cause, you know, I'm the one who tried to kill _him_."

"Dante!"

"What!"

"Head! Bullet!"

"I'll never do it again!"

She smiled. "Much better. And you?" She turned to the other twin.

Vergil frowned, considering his options. Finally, he nodded. "Very well." Dante knew his brother wasn't stupid. Right now, Lady could beat the shit out of either one of them. It was a serious wound to his pride, but Vergil knew when to pull his punches... well, most of the time.

"Now." Lady sat back down in her chair with a sigh. "You'll both be released soon-- probably tomorrow, since Dante, you're not out of your wits anymore, and Vergil, you've been able to walk since yesterday without much pain."

"Yeah, Lady," Dante grumbled. "Thanks for telling me that part."

Lady ignored him. "But for right now, you're stuck here. And since I'm a nice person--" Dante snorted at that "--I'm here with you." She took a deep breath and sighed. "What happened to you out there? Your injuries aren't healing."

"Yeah, I know." Dante held up his bandaged hand. "This itches like a fucking bitch." He tried to peek underneath the bandages.

Vergil narrowed his eyes. "I think," he said, "I may have an answer." The others stared at him, waiting for him to elaborate, but he didn't.

Eventually, Dante cleared his throat, and Lady raised an eyebrow.

But Vergil said nothing more of the matter.

--

AUTHOR'S NOTE: I changed the name of the fic, yet again. It's Italian. Translate it.

Also, I love the beginning of the chapter, but by the end, I abhor it. I read over it a few times, but if you find any inconsistencies, please tell me, and I will fix them.


End file.
